Albany staff reports 2024 progress on housing element; commissioners press for action on zoning and Solano Avenue

City planning staff on May 14 presented Albany’s 2024 Annual Progress Report (APR) on the housing element, summarizing building permits, accessory dwelling unit (ADU) production and the city’s progress toward its Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA) targets.

Leslie Mendez, the city’s building and planning manager, told the Planning and Zoning Commission the APR is an informational report submitted each year to the California Department of Housing and Community Development. Mendez said Albany issued 12 building permits for ADUs in 2024 and recorded 10 completed units (9 ADUs and one single‑family home). Mendez said staff used a temporary 30/30/30/10 formula (a guidance arrangement discussed with the Association of Bay Area Governments and HCD) to assign likely affordability bands to ADUs for reporting purposes when specific affordability data are not available.

Why it matters: The city’s RHNA allocation runs through 2031; Mendez said Albany remains behind the required numbers and must advance several zoning and programmatic items to increase housing production.

Key points from the presentation and discussion - APR role and timing: Mendez said the APR documents implementation of housing element programs and is due annually to HCD. The report tracks permits issued and program actions taken in 2024. - ADU accounting: Because many ADUs lack recorded affordability restrictions, staff used a provisional distribution for reporting — the 30/30/30/10 split that attributes shares of ADUs into very low, low, moderate and above‑moderate income bands for RHNA accounting. Staff noted these assignments do not mean individual ADUs are deed‑restricted or rent‑capped. - Building activity and large projects: Staff reported 19 development applications in 2024 (primarily smaller projects and ADUs). Mendez said larger projects such as Albany Bowl and the Solano project have extended permit timelines; the bowl project hoped to pull permits before year end while the long‑discussed Solano project remains on hold.

Commissioners urged the council and staff to move on zoning levers that could accelerate housing production. Chair McLeod and several commissioners pointed to Measure K limits and floor‑area‑ratio constraints on commercial corridors, saying Solano Avenue’s small lot patterns and FAR caps constrain the city’s ability to add units without raising heights or changing zoning. Commissioner Pilch asked staff to provide clearer comparisons between projection periods and actual production; staff said RHNA projections run through 2031 and the APR shows the city remains short of its targets.

Other program updates highlighted in the APR included code‑enforcement staffing, an updated density bonus ordinance to conform to state law and a recently formed Housing Advisory Commission. Mendez also noted the city participated in a countywide analysis of impediments to fair housing.

Public comment at the APR item included questions about the timing of specific projects and how ADUs are assigned to affordability categories. Staff clarified the SAHA (affordable housing) development’s certificate of occupancy timing will appear in the 2025 APR and reiterated that the ADU affordability split is a reporting convention rather than a deed‑restriction.

Next steps and context Staff did not ask the commission to take action on the APR; the report is informational and will go to the City Council. Commissioners repeatedly urged council action to revise zoning and implement specific plans that could accelerate housing production, including Solano Avenue standards and potential changes to FAR and height rules that commissioners said constrain infill on small lots.